By John Bohnenkamp
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Noah Shannon has found another role within the Iowa football program.
The former defensive tackle, who lost his final season of eligibility for wagering on an Iowa women’s basketball game, is now an assistant director of player development for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s his first year on this side of the ball, instead of being a player,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said at Friday’s media day. “I’m not sure he knows exactly where he wants to go professionally. This will give him a good opportunity to see both sides and kind of develop an idea of what he wants to do as he moves forward.”
Shannon had 107 tackles in four seasons with the Hawkeyes. He was set to play in the 2023 season, but the NCAA ruled he had to sit out the season for betting on a game. Iowa appealed Shannon’s suspension, but it was upheld. When the NCAA announced it was reconsidering gambling penalties for those who don’t wager on their own teams, Shannon had hopes of being reinstated, but a decision was not made in time to help Shannon.
Ferentz said Shannon was originally going to be a graduate assistant or a student assistant.
“All the titles are different now because of the new rules,” Ferentz said.
Other changes to Ferentz’s staff during the summer:
• Jason Manson was elevated to senior analyst and assistant offensive coach.
• Sam Brincks was named director of player development.
• Ben Hansen was elevated to assistant athletics director for football operations.
• Ireland Hostetler was named director of football administration.
• Austin Showalter was elevated to associate director of football operations.
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KIRK’S 24-HOUR RULE: Ferentz and his players always talk about the team’s 24-hour rule — celebrate a win or lament a loss for 24 hours, then begin working on next week.
Ferentz was asked about his own 24-hour rule.
“I go home as fast as possible,” he said. “It’s a little tough when you’re on the West Coast flying back through the night. That means you’re home at 5:30 (a.m.) or whatever. I like to go home and try to get your mind off it. That’s impossible. But you process it, and just like we tell the players, we come in, watch the tape, and you either feel really good or you feel bad.”
Ferentz remembered what it was like after a game when he coached in the NFL.
“When I was in the NFL — this is probably why I never went back to the NFL — the head coach, at least where I worked, had to go see the owner after the game,” Ferentz said. “All I really wanted to do was get in my car and go home. And it was that way as long as I’ve coached.”
Ferentz had a different plan when he was an assistant at Iowa under Hayden Fry.
“If I was in a good mood I would walk home through the parking lot,” Ferentz said, pointing to the southwest end of Kinnick Stadium. “A friend of mine was always somewhere over in that corner and I’d stop and have a beer with him and then I’d walk right to our house. Took 10 minutes, nine minutes, and I’d be on my couch. Life was good. If we lost, just kept going, no stopping at Go for 200 bucks. That’s kind of the model.”
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NO CHANGING: Special teams coordinator LeVar Woods has played for Ferentz and coached with him, so he has seen the coach from different angles.
“I think deep down he’s the same guy,” Woods said. “The things you talk about like the stability, the consistency, the even-keeledness of Coach Ferentz is the same. But he’s adapted with the times, you know people are different. The game is different. College football, the landscape is different, he’s adjusted with that. Overall, the things he preaches, the core values, the fundamentals, the discipline, all that stuff is still there.”